Hallucinations in adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder and psychotic disorder.
James Graham Scott, Barry Nurcombe, Judith Sheridan, Margaret McFarland
Australasian psychiatry : bulletin of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists February 2007 DOI: 10.1080/10398560601083084 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 66 |
| Population | Adolescents consecutively admitted to an acute adolescent unit in Australia, diagnosed with PTSD or psychotic disorder |
| Topics | PTSD |
| Key findings | Hallucinations did not differ significantly in form or content between adolescents with PTSD and those with psychotic disorder on most measures. Only a minority of PTSD patients had hallucinations reflecting previous trauma, indicating hallucinations are unreliable for distinguishing the two diagnoses. |
Abstract
The aim of the study was to compare the phenomenology of hallucinations in hospitalized adolescents diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychotic disorder. Diagnoses were ascertained in 66 adolescents consecutively admitted to an acute adolescent unit in Australia. Hallucinations were examined to compare their phenomenology in PTSD with psychotic disorder. On most measures, hallucinations did not differ significantly in form or content between those adolescents with PTSD and those with psychotic disorder. In a minority of patients with PTSD, the hallucinations reflected a previous traumatic experience. Hallucinations were found to be unreliable in distinguishing adolescent inpatients with PTSD from those with psychotic disorder.